G20

EAF articles

Author: Hugh Patrick, Columbia University
By 2012, after two decades of mediocre economic performance and ineffective government policy, a widespread sense of resignation and malaise prevailed in Japan. Since the early 1990s, Japan’s GDP growth rate averaged less than 1 per cent, below potential; labour markets weakened; and prospects seemed bleak.

Author: Andrew Elek, ANU
In late 2008 the policy failures of Western economies created a global problem which they could not fix by themselves.
The G7 was forced to bring other emerging economies to the table to help deal with the global financial crisis. The new grouping — the G20 — was able to agree quickly on policies that limited the potential damage of the crisis.

Author: Peter Drysdale, Editor, East Asia Forum
The past week has seen the climax of an Australian domestic political drama that has played out over the past three and a half years. Right at the end of the parliamentary term heading into a national election, Kevin Rudd dramatically wrested back the prime ministership from Julia Gillard.